My kit-bashed TFs

[JP Gibb]

With my legacy supply of broken 'Formers supplanted with reissues and whole originals from eBay, I've started kit-bashing and repainting to further expand my forces.

And so, I give you:

[JP Gibb]

Name: Thunderbolt
Faction: Autobot
Function: Close air support
Alt Mode: Double-delta winged jet

Motto: "Strike hard and fast, or not at all"


Built as a Decipticon Seeker, Thunderbolt found himself on the losing side of a power struggle early on in the Third War. Exiled from Cybertron, he wandered the galaxy as a bounty hunter and merc. Thunderbolt wound up on Earth about ten years after the Autobots and Decpticons awoke, and, still nursing a grudge against Megatron, threw in with Optimus Prime. Working with the Aerialbots and Powerglide, Thunderbolt fought hard to hold off the ground-bound Decpticons all across the globe.

In aircraft mode, Thunderbolt is just as maneuverable as his former Decpticon comrades, but his modified engines allow a much longer loiter time, giving him an advantage in drawn out battles. He is equipped with two Gauss riffles, and has an accuracy of less than two centimeters from five hundred meters altitude. In robot mode, he switches to a plasma cannon, which can project a stream of highly energized gas two hundred meters.

Provisional pictures, I'll be retaking them once I get the stickers.

[J. T./Jessica]

Hm... Ramjet base... Paintjob's reminesent of an Aerialbot...

I like it.

I'm actually working on custom TFs based on my Heavy Metal War team, the "Mars Decepticons" (who in the game are actually Autobots, it's all explained in the team bio.), I'll try and post some when I can get pictures taken (I have two, Blastzone and Overload finished, the others are in various states of progress...)

[J. T./Jessica]

OVERLOAD:
Actually was made even before I started playing HMW or even really customizing, it started as an 'Armada Ultra Magnus' with a white coloring from using white-out on Armada Optimus Prime's red. After being introduced to the Micromaster Overload as a character through fanfiction, I used Sharpies (of all things) to make the white a light blue and add in the additional details.


Angle View


Side View


Side View with towing assembly/vibro-axe.


Robot mode.


Robot mode (2).


Truck Mode with Infiniti (custom in progress) riding.

---

BLASTZONE:
This started out as a project to make a halftrack Transformer, I had a spare Transmetal Scavenger that I had gotten at the flea market and some Tankorr arms laying around, so I started disassembling both the Scavenger and Tankorr arms to see if I could put them together since Scavenger had the built-in wheels that I could use in the half-track mode. While the Tankorr arms became the front of the vehicle mode and the primary arms for the robot mode, I used a pair of Motorcycle Drone arms that had been combined with Optimus Minor (TM2) pieces that allowed me to use the balls on the Tankorr upper arms as connection points to add them as the vehicle mode's twin, independently targetable, plasma cannons and as secondary arms for robot mode (Since Blastzone's a construction/demolition specialist, I see the Tankorr arms for the heavy stuff, then switch out to the M-Drone arms for precision work). The legs were a problem since all the normal legs I had were either too short because of the arm design or the sockets were the wrong size and wouldn't fit. Finally, I just took apart a pair of Transmetal Waspinator repaint legs (the parts-fodder TM Waspy had been bought at the same time as the Scavenger base, ironically enough) and a pair of BM Jetstorm legs and managed to combine them to form a pair of legs that were long enough, looked right, AND fit. (Unfortunately, I still haven't really figured out a use for the thrusters from the Jetstorm legs, maybe in the future.) To bring the shell up over the legs, I added a piece from Scavenger's ant legs, then I took the horn assembly off Scavenger's head and sanded down the sides...

Result: Blastzone.


Main arms, front view.


Main arms, angle view.


Precision arms, front view.


Precision arms, angle view.


Halftrack Mode, Front view.


Halftrack mode, left view.


Halftrack mode, right view


Halftrack Mode, Plasma Cannons locked...

---

HORRORSHOW
(No significant changes yet below the shoulders...)
I had an Optimal Optimus with no head that I had given a custom Minicon port to, so when I got a spare Energon Megatron head, I took out the side horns, sanded the crest down some, and whittled out the neck hole so I could fit it on Op-Op, the result - Horrorshow.


Angle view of head and Minicon Alamo.


Front view of head and Minicon Alamo - Go ahead, make their day...


Angle view of Minicon port with head and Minicon Alamo in background.

[JP Gibb]

Name: Sabot
Faction: Decpticons
Function: Demolitions
Alt Mode: M60 Tank
Motto: "This summer, stuff gets BLOW'D UP!"

Sabot loves explosions. Rock or building, Autobot or his own team-mates, just so long as it makes a big boom. Can fire various types of shells five miles and is accurate to within one inch at that range, though he usually isn't nearly so careful. Has reactive armor, and can withstand fire from a ten-inch gun. Slow, can't keep up with his fellows in a fast charge. Loves American blockbuster-style movies






Basicaly, this was Warpath, broken down, cleaned, and painted green with silver-grey treads. A few left-over stickers and he's ready for his close-up.

[JP Gibb]

My masterwork: Bruticus!


I picked up this:
off eBay for a song, took 'em apart, cleaned 'em up, repainted 'em in G1 colors, and added Repolabels stickers.

Onslaught



Blast-Off



Vortex



Swindle



Brawl



I'm pleased with how well this turned out; matching the colors, Onslaught's and Swindle's in particular, was a bear.

[JP Gibb]

Not quite a kit-bash, but a restoration of my original Whirl, started back in August.

Not-so-gently played with (but I still had all the accessories!), he suffered the same problems as most other Whirls: the ball joints for the arms had worn down, and they swung freely. Starting with a quick spot cleaning with Testors paint thinner (to remove the old decals and any residue), I disassembled his upper chest and arms. I'd hit upon using super glue to repair similar joints on an old Soundwave (which I'll be posting at a later date), and the same basic procedure served me well here. A couple drops, a few hours to cure, and the arms were just like new. Reassembly was just as easy, but I hit a major roadblock, and it was just the sort of mistake I'm very good at making: I never checked to see if there were reproduction labels for Whirl! As it turned out, there aren't, so I set a favorite search on eBay, and sat back to wait. I finally got a hit last month: an unused label sheet for about what I'd be willing to pay. Won the auction, got the stickers, and viola:

[J. T./Jessica]

Have you tried Reprolabels.com?

[JP Gibb]

Aff, first place I tried as a matter of fact. It's not currently offered, it's not on the list to be offered in the near future and for what they wanted for a special order I managed to pick up a box and all the inserts off eBay, so it all worked out in the end.

[JP Gibb]

Two more restored G1 vintage:

Soundwave. Yeah, I know now they're now doing a reissue. Like I said, I'm not a patient person. Prices of good condition 'Waves what they are, I decided to buy broken and repair. I was able to pick up a couple junkers for a song on (where else) eBay. Using Testors paint thinner I cleaned off the old stickers and took him apart. The main problem with G1 Soundwaves seems to be in the legs; the joints in the hips and knees wear out (I know the feeling). The knee joint is basically a ratchet, with the peg molded into the lower leg (which wore down), and channels in the upper. I simply used super glue to rebuild the peg. The hip joint uses a metal peg from the body, which fits into channels on the leg, which also wore down. I glued a small patch of thin plastic on the leg, sanded it down slightly, and it worked perfectly. I did a little work on the eject mechanism, and the arms, and then split the parts into three groups: the blue pieces, which needed no further work, the silver pieces, which were scratched when I got it, and the previously chromed parts, which were worn out. I sanded the silver pieces slightly to even out the marks, then sprayed them with Testors gloss silver (which matches the original color nicely). The (formerly) chromed parts got a coat of chrome paint, then everything got two coats of gloss clearcote. I also repainted his eye red, to match the cartoon. I then reassembled 'Wave, and applied Reprolabel decals.
Laserbeak was in okay condition, but needed new decals. I repainted his beak gray, and Reprolabel finished him off.









Wheeljack was in okay shape structurally when I got him. The paint was all scratched up, and I needed new decals though. I also had to pick up his spoilers, wings, and missile pods (which took forever). Took him apart, sanded the metal pieces down, and sprayed him with gloss white. Put him back together, and added Reprolabel decals.

[J. T./Jessica]

I'm working on a project fusing a Gundam-style color scheme with a Transformer, I'll try and post some images of it when it's done...

[J. T./Jessica]

turbomagnus said:

I just had a kitbash idea...

Energon Omnicon Arcee as a female Junkion.

A touch of good/bad news... This idea's already been done by Wayward (the Insecticon fanatic and queen of Energon Arcee repaints) as part of her "Twelve Months of Arcee" project.

I really don't think I could do half as good as she did.

However, inspired by her "Twelve Months of Arcee" (which features the E-Arcee mold in Insecticon, Junkion and Constructicon colors, among others), I'm working on a G1 Dinobot-colored repair of E-Arcee.

[JP Gibb]

Part one of "What JP's been doing these last few months."

Name: Slipstream
Faction: Decepticon
Function: Air Superiority
Alt Mode: F-15A
Motto: "'Cannon fodder'? No, I can't say I've heard the term before."

One of the many mass-produced warriors that made up the bulk of Megatron's strike force on Earth. Slipstream, like his fellow Seeker in the early years of the conflict, was reformatted by Teletraan 1 as an F-15 Eagle. While not as fast or strong as Starscream, Thundercracker or Skywarp, he's still more than a match for the Autobots, or any human who blunders across his path. Slipstream spent most of his time participating in the Decepticon's energy raids, until he was brought down and destroyed by the Dinobot Slag in 1989.







What I started with was a broken reissue Skywarp fuselage (acquired on a lot with some Aerialbot clones), and a idea: I'd build one of the background Seekers from MTMTE.
Picking up parts piecemeal on eBay, I did the usual strip-n-clean, then applied several light coats of Testors light blue. The fists I painted primer grey, and I left the metal chest-piece natural, both for contrast. Since I was doing a show 'bot, stickers were kept to a minimum: just a few sigils, and a pair of left-over stripes for the wings and tails. I wanted some show accurate guns, so I kitbashed them out of two different Macross mecha arms/guns.

[JP Gibb]

Part Two of "What JP's been doing these last few months."

Patrolbots

Name: Habu
Faction: Autobot
Function: Reconnaissance/Patrolbot Leader
Alt Mode: High speed transport
Motto: "Alone, unarmed, kinda afraid."




Name: Harrier
Faction: Autobot
Function: Ground Attack
Alt Mode: Bae AV-8A
Motto: "If you can't see their optics, you're flying too high."




Name: Kestrel
Faction: Autobot
Function: Fighter
Alt Mode: BAe Harrier FRS-1
Motto: "Reach for the skies."





Name: Seasprite
Faction: Autobot
Function: Anti-Sub Warfare/Surface Attack
Alt Mode: Kaman SH-2
Motto: "I like my oceans clean; all 'Cons out!"





Name: Vigilante
Faction: Autobot
Function: Demolitions
Alt Mode: Bell UH-1D
Motto: "Peace comes when the last Decepticon terminates."




Name: Amphibion
Faction: Autobot
Function: Super Warrior
Motto: "None shall pass!"

[JP Gibb]

Waaaa! I wish I'd thought of this!